Coin selector



Jan. 9, 1940. B, w, FRY M 2,186,862

7 V COIN SELECTOR Filed Jan. 8, 1938 ill/5o INVENTORS. BENJAMIN W. FRY.

J'OHN GOTTFR/ED,

* E j A TTORNEY named .Fan.9,194@ 2 2 135 352 UNETEE STATE PATENT @FFIQE estates com snnacroa Benjamin W. Fry and John Gottfried, St. Louis, Mo., assignors to National Slug Rejectors, Elma, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Application January 8, 193%, Seriai No. 183,9%

2 Claims. (Ci. 19 l--12) This invention relates to coin selectors designed bottom bar Hi, both of which are inclined downto eliminate coins or slugs which are defective in wardly and rearwardly. To the bottom bar it any one of a number of ways and to direct acis secured a ledge or coin support if forming the cepted coins into positionto control the functionbottom of a coin passage or race-way. The oppoing of dispensing mechanism. More particularly, site face of ledge i5 rests throughout at least a 5 the invention contemplates improved means for po s length a a nst the inner or front bringing about the rejection of coins or slugs face of plate Ill. In passing through the selector, which are undersize or have excessively rough disks are supported edgewise upon the upper sursurfaces or apertures. face of the ledge i5. Bars I3 and M are joined lid The invention is a coin selector comprising a" by a rear frame bar i6 and a front frame bar H, to single strong permanent magnet disposed with its the bar ll being widened and offset to provide two poles on opposite sides of a coin passage of a'widened entrance slot and a lateral support for relatively small inclination. This magnet funcdisks inserted in the selector. To the upper part tions not only to retain in the passage coins or of plate I1 is secured a light leaf spring i8 carryslugs which are magnetic, but also to so control ing at its free end a pin i9 which normally rests 15 the movement of non-magnetic coins and slugs as against the front face of the main plate II] but is to effect the separation of those ofimproper elecdeflected by a disk dropping through the passage trical conductivity from those which are acceptbetween the main plate l0 and the lower part of able. Associated with the magnet and the inbar I! to rest against the front face of said disk clined coin passage are devices for retarding or and not only to retain or retard disks which are 20 retaining apertured' or rough surfaced slugs and apertur d or rou h surfa d ut li w s t p ss devices by which the passage may be opened f r. all disks toward the face of the main plate In and the ejection of slugs retained therein and such thereby facili e the n tioning of the selecting slugs positively ejected. device to be described. A shield 20 may be se- The present invention provides novel devices cured to the offset portion of the front plate I! to for retaining in the coin passage apertured, rough extend over and protect the light Sp 3 from surfaced or undersize disks and means for the i ju y Without fe n with its function. supsequent ejecting of the disks thus retained. It will be understood that when the frame I2 is The invention likewise provides novel means assorotated about its pivots to re ov t ledge ciated with the dispensing mechanism for bringfrom contact with'the main plate ill that a coin ing abouts'uch ejection. or disk inserted in the device will fall past this In the drawing ledge instead of upon it. Suitable devices are Fig. 1 is a side elevation of'a coin selector and p ovided for urging the frame toward the main dispensing mechanism control including one em- P a e 0 to es abl sh the co pa a t s bodiment of the present invention. For conpllrpose the rearward pivot 2i of said frame may 85 venience the side of the device shown in Fig. 1 will be elongated and support a coil spring 22, one be referred to as the front and the opposite end'of which bears against the front face of the side as the rear, although it will be understood main plate I0 while the opposite end is received that inuse the part of the device which faces the by a stud 23 projecting from a boss on the bar i6.

operator is the edge facing toward the left in To eilect the opening of the coin passage by movso Fig. 1. ing the frame l2 away from the plate 90 the stud Fig. 2 is an elevation of the opposite or rear 23 may be provided with a roller 24 adapted for side. engagement by the downwardly and rearwardly Fig.8 is a sectional side elevation substantially inclined margin of a lip 25 projecting forward on the line 3-3 of Fig. 4. through an aperture in the main plate Ill from a as Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation substantially on lever 26 pivoted at 21 on the rear (Fig. 2) face of the line 4-4 of Fig. 2. said main plate. The lip 25 of lever 25 likewise The-device is built upon a vertically disposed overlies and depresses a scavenger lever 28 pivmain plate it] which plate forms the leftward or oted to the main plate at 29 and urged upwardly rear side of the entrance passage, the passage 'by a spring 30. as including the selecting mechanism to be de- Amagnet 3| is held in front of and spaced from scribed, and the passage for accepted coins. 'Io plate It], in such a position that its pole faces form ears ll projecting from the main plate H1 is pivparts of the side of the coin passage above ledge oted a frame identified generally by the numeral. l5, by suitable means, such as a frame compris- I2. Said frame comprises a top bar l3 and a ing aplate 32 secured to and in contact with plate 55 l6, 9. bar 33 extending between the poles of the magnet, a front plate 34 forming a part of the side of the coin passage, and a bottom bar 35 joining the lower ends of bar 33 and plate 34. Opposite the magnet 3| is a second similar magnet 36 held on the rear side of plate l0 with'its poles projecting through apertures to be substantially flush with the front face of said plate.

The present invention includes novel means cooperating with the pin I9 for retaining undersize disks in the coin passage. This means comprises a recess in the coin passage wall opposite pin l9, into which undersize disks are moved, but which full size coins bridge and do not enter. The plate l0 comprises an aperture 40 having a dimension in the direction of the coin passage past the magnet which is somewhat greater than the diameter of the largest disk which can be inserted in the device. The margin of this aperture toward the magnet presents a shoulder 4| adapted to engage the margin of an undersize disk and thereby retain such disk. Adjacent the lower margin 42 of aperture 40 the front face of plate I0 is cut back to form an inclined face 43. To the rear side of plate I6 is secured a member M which partly covers the aperture 40. Near the upper margin of member 44 is formed a ledge 45 which extends through the aperture 40, its front face being substantially flush with the front face of plate II). There is thus provided a disk retaining pocket defined by the lower margin 36 of the ledge 45, the shoulder 4|, the inclined face 43, and the upper margin of ledge 85. The lower margin 46 of ledge 45 is spaced from the upper margin of coin supporting ledge l5 by a distance slightly less than the diameter of a cor rectly sized coin, and when a coin of proper size is dropped through the entrance passage between plate l0 and plate i! upon ledge l5 its upper portion is in lateral engagement with the front face of ledge 45. If such a coin is of proper surface characteristics and is therefore not retarded by the pin i 9 it rolls down the ledge I5 into position for further testing by the magnet. However, a d sk which is slightly undersize will upon dropping through the entrance passage on to ledge l5 clear and drop beneath the ledge 45, being pressed laterally to a position beneath said ledge by the spring urged pin Hi. When a disk in this position begins to roll down the supporting ledge l5 it immed ately engages the margin 4| of aperture in and is thus retained in the passage. A simple and remarkably effective means of detecting and retaining undersize disks is thus provided.

Undersize disks retained in the selector in the manner above described as well as rough or aperturned disks retainedby the pin l9 or magnetic slugs retained by the magnet may be removed therefrom by the opening'of the passage by oscillating the frame i2 in conjunction with the positively acting scavenger 28. When so removed they drop along the front face of plate in until they are laterally deflected by the downwardly and forwardly inclined ledge 45 into the passage for rejected coins. The frame and scavenger may be actuated upon the insertion of a second coin or disk or by separate manipulation in the manner described in prior applicat ons and patents of the present inventors. Preferably, however, means are provided that not only signal an attempt to operate the dispensing mechanism by a coin which is not acceptable, but also cause the ejection and return ofsaid coin. The device for this purpose which has been selected for illustration may be described as follows:

The dispensing mechanism is operated by a longitudinally sliding actuator bar 50 which may be mounted in a trackway 5| formed integral with or secured to a plate 49 which forms the front side of the passage for accepted coins and the rear side of the passage for rejected coins. Suitable means such as a spring 52 tensioned between an ear 53 on the bar 50 and a lug 54 on the plate l0 urge the actuator bar 50 forward. Accepted coins drop into a pocket associated with bar 56 which pocket may be conveniently formed by fixing to said actuator bar a yoke 55. Adjacent the rear margin of said pocket is a latch 58 which extends transversely from a lever 51 pivoted to the member 49 at 58 and urged counter-clockwise (Fig. l) by suitable means such as a spring 59. The latch 56 co-operates with a cut-out 60 in the actuator bar 50. If there is no coin in the pocket formed by yoke and an attempt is made to move the actuator bar rearwardly to operate the dispensing mechanism, the margin or shoulder 6| of cut-out will be engaged by latch 56 after the actuator bar has moved a limited distance but before the dispensing mechanism has been operated, and further movement of the actuator bar is thus stopped. If there is a coin in the pocket the margin of the coin engages the latch 56 and cams it upwardly to clear shoulder 6| of the actuator bar and permit its complete movement.

Means are provided for operating the lever 26 to open the coin passage and operate the scavenger to eject and return a retained slug by the initial movement of the actuator bar 50; that is, the movement the actuator bar may be given in the absence of a coin in its pocket. Such means may be variously constructed. For the purpose of illustration there is shown in the drawing a stud 62 provided with a roller 63 projecting laterally from the actuator bar 50 in position to engage and actuate a lever 64 pivoted at 65 to the main plate ID. The opposite end of lever 64 is connected by a link 66 with an ear 61 extending laterally from the lever 26. Thus the first effect of moving the actuator bar 50 inward is to rock the lever 64 and the lever 26, thereby ejecting and returning any slugs which are lodged in the coin passage. If there is a coin in the pocket formed by yoke 55, the latch 56 is cammed out of the path of movement of shoulder 6| and the movement of the actuator bar 50 may be completed. With the actuator bar 50 is associated a suitable manipulative device (not shown), and there may be provided a suitable full-stroke device comprising a pawl 68 pivoted upon the actuator bar and a co-operating ratchet 69 associated with the member 49.

The operation of the device may be summarized as follows:

When a coin of proper size and otherwise acceptable is inserted, such coin drops between the main plate Ill and the plate I! on to ledge l5. Its upper portion is laterally engaged by the front face of ledge 45, and the coin is thus properly positioned to roll past the magnets 3| and 36 and into the passage'for accepted coins, which passage terminates in the coin pocket in actuator bar 50. Actuator bar 50 may then be actuated through the full-stroke necessary to operate the dispensing mechanism, the margin of the coin acting as a cam to displace the actuator bar latch 56. In completing the movement of the actuator bar 50 the coin which initially rests therein upon a ledge 68 associated with member 49 drops through an aperture in said ledge into a coin receptacle.

when an undersize coin is inserted in dropping upon the ledge it passes below the ledge 45 and is pressed beneath said ledge by pin l9. When it begins to move forward it engages the face 4| and is thusstopped and retained. -The actuator bar 50 may now be moved only through the distance separating shoulder 61 from latch 56, but in this movement roller 63 on stud 62 has engaged and operated lever 64 which in turn operates lever 26 to open the coin passage, actuate scavenger 28, and thus dislodge and return the unacceptable undersize disk. Disks orslugs which by reason of any other defect are retained in the coin passage are similarly dislodged and returned.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated and described is merely a typical and representative one, the invention being susceptible to variations and modifications all falling within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is: v

1. A coin selector comprising means'i'orming a sloping passage down which acceptable coins roll, on their edges, disposed in a vertical plane, said means being laterally recessed on one face thereof and provided with a shoulder flush with the recessed face at an elevation above the bottom of the passage greater than the diameter of rejectable coins and less than the diameter of acceptable coins, and means associated with the passage-forming means urging all coins laterally in the direction of said recess, whereby coins -of rejectable diameter are forced by said lastnamed means to tilt into said recess, but coins of acceptable diameter roll past said recess in ve such lodged coins.

tical position with their upper extremities resting against said shoulder, said recess terminating along the length of said passage as an upstanding shoulder against -which said tilted rejectable coins lodge, and means for discharging 2. A coin selector comprising means forming said means being laterally recessed on one face thereof and provided with a shoulder flush with the recessed face at an elevation above the bottom of the passage greater than the diameter of rejectable coins and less than the diameter of acceptable coins, and means associated with the passage-forming means urging all coins laterally in the direction-of said recess, whereby coins of rejectable diameter are forced by said last-named means to tilt into said recess, but coins of acceptable diameter roll past said recess in vertical position with their upper extremities resting against said shoulder, said recess terminating along the length of said passage as an upstanding shoulder against which said tilted rejectable coins lodge, said urging means likewise being adapted to frictionally engage the surface of coins of proper diameter but improper surface formation to deter such coins from further rolling movement in said passage, and means for discharging lodged coins of rejectable diameter and coins of improper surface formation from said passage.

BENJAMIN W. FRY. JOHN GOT'IF'RIED. 

